


Hunt

by Flasky



Category: Gintama
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Hunters, Blood and Violence, Killing, M/M, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:34:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26091964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flasky/pseuds/Flasky
Summary: After all, there has been only one werewolf living in Kabuki and who just happened to have a noticeable gray ... rather, silver, hair.
Relationships: Hijikata Toshirou/Sakata Gintoki
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	Hunt

**Author's Note:**

> Huge warning: English isn't my native language, so I'm sorry for all the mistakes and weird phrases!

The viscous slumber didn't let go of its tenacious embrace. Sticky sweat ran down his forehead and temples, and a couple of drops successfully made their way to the hollow above the lip. But he is already what day, month ... year? - feels no heat. Body trembled, as if from freezing cold, and before his eyes the images of ghostly, bluish lights danced every now and then. And he knew, not being able to get out of the sent sleep paralysis - they came for him. They always came in the dark, when the birds are silent and the wind dies down. Weak evil spirits howled in vain, scratched, feeling strong prey - the charms put out throughout the headquarters are charged to the maximum and will be kept until the last Shinsengumi sheathes his sword and finishes his lifelong watch.  
But strong spirits, whispering sweet promises to their brothers, who managed to acquire a material form and been reborn into humanoid beings, do not give up their attempts to get to every living soul and successfully ignore these protective charms, sending small undead to pave the way for them.  
There was no fear: an obsidian crescent on a velvet cloth vibrated finely around his neck, suppressing the gushing sparks of spiritual energy, the symbols on the chest burned, blinding as a bright sun, and a faithful katana with a rare addition of silver was just waiting for it's owner's hand.

He exhaled loudly and felt, but did not see, a vapor of chill before his face. Lean, long hands with sharp claws easily slid down his cheeks and he, concentrating, in one continuous movement grabbed the sword and jumped to his feet - the blade barely had time to freeze dangerously close to someone else's neck.

-“Hijikaaata-san, why aren't you sleeping? - His headache echoed in his usual unemotional voice and stretching the vowels. In crimson eyes, under cover of night not hidden by magic, the fires of the underworld danced. - "You always spoil all the fun for children".

\- “Tсh,” - Hijikata said irritably, removing his sword. For a moment, the thought of chopping off Sogo slipped through - he would have recovered in a day or two anyway - but Kondo-san wouldn’t appreciate that. - "You were a child three hundred years ago. And not quite a child, rather, a Pandemonium larva".

\- "Ah, rude, Hijikata-san, you may offend some demon. And they, judging from my own experience, are very vindictive creatures", - at the last word Sogo’s whole body lit up with hot fire, and his usually innocent face, taking on its true form, stretched out into a terrible grimace. His skin of a reddish hue immediately began to melt from the proximity of the Hunter, but he did not feel pain – _supreme demons, damn them_. Hijikata has already wondered more than once what idiot (ahem, Kondo, ahem) had the idea to take in the corps of hunters for wild evil spirits and part-time responsible for controlling the supernatural population, one of them. And one of the most dangerous and sadistic in addition - what kind of demon was Sogo and why he so easily agreed to join their ranks, remained a mystery even for the guy himself, but he just spat fire perfectly and didn’t suffer from howls of conscience, committing violence against his own kind. Hijikata could only bang his head against the wall and hope that his protective tattoos and charms in the Shinsengumi's quarters would be enough to pacify the raging demon.

\- "I don't care. What the hell are you doing here?"

Realizing that he wouldn’t be able to sleep off - the wall clock showed half past five in the morning - Hijikata began to somehow put on his uniform. From the proximity of Sogo, his whole body was surrounded by a barrier and burned around with a righteous fire, and the velvet chocker on his neck almost jumped, warning of danger.

-“Goril ... Kondo-san is calling you to the intersection between 4 and 5, the one on the outskirts of Kabuki".  
-"Oi, you clearly wanted to say Gorilla, you damn demon! Something urgent?"

\- "I have no idea, they didn’t let me get close to the investigation – they’re scared, I might be in cahoots with the killer. But, I can only say, I'm not hungry anymore", - Sogo, having returned his human form, deliberately slowly licked his lips. This peculiarity of him - to feed on vital energy and, in particular, the anger of people, frankly, caused discomfort in Hijikata and made him reluctant to show any emotion around others.

-“Don't you dare devour our boss, or I'll make sure you won’t ever get out of Cairn again,” - he threatened unsuccessfully. But what he heard from Sogo, made him feel anxious - very few people and things managed to anger Kondo-san, a man of rare kindness and M-tendencies: - That angry?"

\- "Mh. But he said that there are good news as well. I hope you die of happiness and then I'll be able to finally devour your soul."

-" Shut it and get out already before I chop you into sausage pieces!"  
But Sogo no longer listened to his angry tirade - he disappeared into the air, leaving behind only a haze of fog and a vigorous smell of tar and oil. _Demons, to hell with them._  
***  
The intersection between 4 and 5 was located in a residential area, where on a normal weekday patrolling became a test of the willpower of a samurai - try not to get bored when the main event is helping a young mom fix a stroller’s wheel. Therefore, Hijikata, having relaxed too early, wasn’t ready for the frenzy that met him. Around, barely restrained by restrictive tapes and a green-mouthed patrolman thrown to be tormented by the crowd, journalists and rare interested onlookers crowded around, eager to learn the details of the incident and once again shame the work of the police. Like a herd of wild sheeps, people pushed each other with their elbows, screamed raw their throats in an attempt to shout down the humming neighbors and buzzing reporters, and pressured the poor patrolman with plaintive requests "just to have a quick glance" to see what was hidden there. Fortunately, detective Musashi, who had been investigating the murder of supernatural beings for the second month without much success, was smart enough to set up guards along the perimeter leading to the alley where, as he was informed, a new victim was found.  
Hijikata reached into his jacket for a cigarette - lately his nerves have been going to hell.

\- “You look bad, Toshi. Didn't sleep again? - Without any formalities, greeted him commander.

\- "It's okay, Kondo-san," - replied Hijikata, feeling the corner of his lips involuntarily lift up in a faint smile. Kondo-san possessed that special energy that easily tore down his barbed walls of cold composure. - "On what business did they call us? Again "Domesticu Violensu", which they are too lazy to rake?"

\- "I wish that was the case, but it looks like our "Equalizer" showed up again. Six dead already".

\- "What's with the body? They gave us clearance? Or they’re too scared to admit that they fucked up again?"

\- "Actually, the opposite, Toshi," - Kondo-san broke into a smile and threw his hand on Hijikata’s shoulder, pulling him towards himself. - "The case is officially being handed over to the Shinsengumi!"

\- "Pops scared them to death?"

\- "Better – public did."

Hijikata turned towards the center of the hubbub: detective Musashi, surrounded by cameras and microphones on all sides, all flushed and with a face drenched with sweat, was actively gesticulating and pissing in the ears of reporters that the case was under the control of the central administration and had nothing to do with the past killer , as well as the uselessness of involving the Shogun and the Community of the supernatural population. It was worth paying tribute: the detective deftly avoided sharp questions and skillfully silenced provocative individuals who were quick to sow unnecessary panic.

\- "Kondo-san, I hope they didn't have time to leave mess there?" Did they touch the body? What it looks like: a meat grinder or a simple zombie spree?"

\- "They took skin particles and blood into the laboratory - presumably, there was no evidences left from our killer. You'll see for yourself, Toshi, but be prepared for the worst."

Picking up the restricting tapes and nodding to the police, Hijikata put off his cigarette butt, mentally tuning in to the cold hospitality, as he and Kondo headed for the place.  
As soon as they turned the corner, a sour-sweet, corpse’s smell, mixed with the stench of waste, immediately hit their noses. Behind the garbage cans, in a pool of her own blood, unnaturally spreading her arms and stumps of the remnants of her legs, lay an female-elf - judging by the presence of a breast, after all, from the victim's face there were only pitiful pieces of lip skin and the frozen, faded look of the surviving blue eye left. Her long, black, matted hair covered her bitten shoulders and a neck torn out with flesh. In place of the abdomen, a huge hole gaped with unevenly, as if hastily ripped open with a knife, the edges of the skin: the ripped intestines swayed from above on the water pipe along with shreds of green yukata, the spleen was completely absent and only a pitiful piece of the liver remained - it is obvious that the killer was exceptional, but picky gourmet. The sternum, surprisingly, was better preserved than all other parts of the body, everything was covered in traces of sharp claws and torn wounds of canines - but judging by the dents and bluish tint of skin, the ribs were completely broken, and the heart was simply pulled out through a hole in the stomach. Apparently, fetishist’s heaven. There was no doubt that it was again work of their killer, nicknamed the Equalizer: the "visiting card" in the form of torn off elf ears pinned to a dagger and the bloody inscription "The man is the crown of law", as if ridiculing the work of all the enfrorcement.

Hijikata sat down near the body, chocker around his neck trembled - the victim's body turned green, throwing off the spell, and the air around him burst into musk. There was a hubbub nearby asking Kondo-san to stop vomiting on evidence, but Hijikata didn’t push the commander down, lost in his own thoughts, and his fingers froze almost touching the victim's solar plexus. The characteristic vines of spells appeared on the remains of the elf's body.

 _“Charms are not touched. Liver, heart, neck ... arms and legs sawed off – to not interfere with dragging it away from the street. The blood was licked both from the body and from the asphalt to the alley, but managed to dry out on the edges – blood feeder, but not a vampire. Work is too dirty. Broxa? No, must be something else. "_  
His gaze slid lower - the broken bones of her hands were sticking out, but the fingers, as if deliberately, were aligned and neatly laid, intact, without a trace, even the varnish on long nails did not tear. On the index finger, at the base, was a different shaded patch of skin.  
\- "Gloves! Get moving, you fucking snails!" - He shouted, seething, to slacking police, who stood there with open mouthses and bulging eyes, staring in amazement. - "Is it already known what metal the ring is made from?"

\- “That was fast. You, Hijikata-san, are indeed a demonic vice-chief,” - Musashi said next to him. The detective did not even bother to put out his own cigar and puffed, as if mocking, acrid smoke right in Hijikata’s face. - "Platinum, with the addition of gold. Insert - ruby, but not enchanted”.

Hijikata chuckled: the sense of the enchanted ruby, which was actively sniffed by passers-by in the market as an effective protection from the wild evil spirits, was like milk from a goat.  
Hijikata put on gloves, gently touched the lacerated wound on victim’s thigh - the artery was torn, along with smaller veins, the bone was gnawed on and a piece of meat was missing, but the inside of the leg wasn’t touched. Above the victim's pubic bone, whitish streaks were visible, which could, however, be the foaming saliva of the killer or wild dogs that had wandered in earlier, allured by the smell of fresh meat.

\- “Was she raped? Have you examined her’s vagina?”

\- “It's too early for conclusions to be made, Hijikata - san, the body has yet to be brought for autopsy,” - said one of the yellow-horned police officers who brought gloves.  
Hijikata just rolled his eyes - five hours have passed since the perimeter has been covered, and no one bothered to invite a pathologist.  
He opened the victim's mouth, felt the back of the throat and teeth - the upper front ones were knocked out, and the fangs were broken in half, for sure so as not to bite. But it didn’t make much sense to get rid of the blunt teeth, when one sweep of the opponent's clawed hand could easily pierce the stomach.  
There was no doubt.

\- “Well, what is it, Toushi?”

\- “I could be wrong, but it’s very similar to the work of an intelligent werewolf or a werewolf-like amanto".

\- “Werewolf? But they haven’t got out of the forest for ten years already.”

\- “Times are changing, Kondo-san,” - Hijikata said, recalling a familiar werewolf who last visited the forest twenty years ago minimum. - “Everyone nowadays wants luxury, technology and 24-hour supermarkets, not leaves under the ass and rotten venison”.

\- "Why then kill the rest of the supernaturals? And amanto usually love elfs, vampire and similar creatures. Somehow it doesn't make much sense ..."

\- “Does a maniac always needs a motive to kill?”

\- "Toshi ..."  
-“Kondo-san, Hijikata-san,” - one of the policemans’s interrupted them breathlessly,- “We have a man here, he claims, that he saw a suspicious guy, who was following the victim literally a couple of hours before the murder”.  
Hijikata exchanged glances with his boss - he really didn't want to talk to anyone right now - but Kondo only sympathetically squeezed his shoulder and gave his trademark Gorilla pleading look.

\- “Take care of it, Toshi, while I’ll get rid of the vultures ... uh, reporters”.

\- “Okay. Just please don't take your clothes off, Kondo-san. ”- Asking Kondo was a pointless thing, but it was worth the risk. After all, when necessary, their commander could play the role of a serious Gorilla. Hijikata took off his gloves, laying them next to the victim, and turned to Musashi-san: - "I hope for your temporary support, detective. As soon as they are ready, submit the autopsy results to Captain Okita Sougo. We also need a complete list of all victims's accquintaces, her place of work and a record of hospital visits".

\- “What is the last for?”

-“She has a spell putten all over her body for a reason, Musashi-san. Most likely, she was being treated for a chronic illness or was fighting a curse. Little things like that can help with the investigation”.

“- Usefull pain in the ass, Hijikata-san, but it's up to you now".

 _"Pain in the ass," says the one who has allowed six murders to happen. "_  
Hijikata, taking his leave, hastened to exit the alley. Chocker vibrated and his hands gradually trembled from overexertion - one of the reasons why he did not like to personally contact magical creatures. A new cigarette was sent to his mouth, the lighter struck and the familiar smell of nicotine enveloped him from head to toe, drowning out the ingrained stench of corpse.  
Away from the crowd, guarded by another yellow-mouth, rubbing his hands in a nervous gesture and almost vibrating in place, a short old man stomped in place. His eyes were completely glazed, as if he was a couple of miles away from Edo – most likely, still in shock. It won’t be difficult to make him spill the beans. And he was not mistaken, because immediately after the greeting, the old man burst into words, as if a dam had been damaged:

\- “I swear to you, I saw him, no mistake - a real demon! His eyes were red, he was young, but his hair was gray - he kept clinging to her and inviting to go around the corner. I threatened him to leave poor Liri-chan alone, otherwise I would call the police, and he replied that everything was fine - he had friends in the police”.

 _“Friends, my ass. He was clearly lying to you, old man, that fucking diabetic perm! "_ \- Hijikata thought, having already guessed who old man was talking about. But one confirmation was required, and therefore he asked: - "Did this demon also happened to carry a stick with him?"

\- “Yes, a wooden one. He started waving it around, when my son went to put him in place, and then offered Liri-chan to get in some play with his other stick ...”

Hijikata let out a breath, no longer listening to old man’s words, and the vein in his temple gave off a throbbing pain. After all, there has been only one werewolf living in Kabuki and who just happened to have a noticeable gray ... rather, silver, hair.  
He, of course, knew that not everything is so simple and their acquaintance, a useless, lazy diabetic samurai, is definitely not a killer, but his involvement in any business never brought anything good.

\- "Yorozuya!"


End file.
